Chawli Batata Bhaji | Black eyed beans Sabji Maharashtrian style

Todays recipe is SKP ( somvanshiya kshatriya pathare prabhu ) or chaukalshi community style way of making the chawli batata bhaji .SKP refers to one of the community in maharshtra .Somvanshi Kshatriya Pathare (SKP) community is one of the few original residents of Mumbai. 

I personally like this sabji a lot be it chawlichi amti (gravy) or chawli batata bhaji..Normally you will find this sabji in lot of marathi homes. As a child I remember this sabji used to be part of the lunch menu prepared during the day prior to the marriage for the guests.

This is a semi dry sabji which can be relished with chapati or dal rice .

Black eyed beans is chawli in marathi & batata means potato. Use of goda masala skp masala is suggested but in case you dont have you can use garam masala & red chilli powder respectively

Ingredients

 1 cup kidney beans/black eyed beans (chavli),

2 potatoes cubed

2.tbsp shredded dry/wet coconut(I used dessicated coconut)

1 tsp cumin seeds,(jeera)

1 tsp mustard seeds(rai)

1 onion chopped

4-5 curry leaves

1 tsp red chillipowder

1 tspn kandalasun masala /marathi kala/goda masala

1 tsp skp masala

1 tspn ginger garlic paste

1/4 tsp asafoetida,

1 tsp turmeric powder,

1 tsp jaggery or sugar,

salt to taste,

1 tsp tamarind pulp or 2 kokum,

coriander leaves/cilantro,

1 tbsp oil

  

METHOD

1. Wash and soak the black eyed beans in plenty of water for 7-8 hours. Rinse and pressure cook the beans till soft.

3. Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds,cumin seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida,curry leaves,half red chilli powder turmeric powder and ginger garlic paste Add onions pieces and fry till they look translucent.

4. Add boiled beans followed by cubed potatoes and little water, remaining chilli powder, kanda lasun masala/goda masala

5.cover and cook till potato  is cooked .keep checking in between,add water if required .

6 Once  potato is cooked, add coconut, tamarind, salt and jaggery. Mix well and cook covered further for 5 minutes. If required, add some more water.

7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve with rice or chapati. 

TIP

Quick method: Instead of soaking the beans, roast the beans very lightly and rinse. Now boil them till soft. You can even soak them for 2 hours minimum & pressure cook with 3 whistles.  

You an add brinjals to above recipe to make chawli vanga bhaji

adjust water quantity as per the consistency needed.

 Substitute kanda lasun masala with any other curry masala of your choice.

Parle G biscuit cake in microwave | glucose biscuit cake

Parle G biscuits or glucose biscuits takes me down my memory lane. As a child I used to love these biscuits
even today I Love them .I used to mix them with tea and eat it as a kheer.even today I do it

Now todays recipe is an easy instant 5 minutes cake from parle g biscuits which is made in microwave.You can make it in pressure cooker or oven too
I have used double pack 10 rupees which has 34 biscuits in it .I made this cake in my 6 inch tin in microwave.

I have already shared this with my friends and relatives & they too have tried this easy cake.You can use eno sachet or baking powder in this recipe .Its a bachelors recipe being very easy

Instant way to make cakes with short notice.

Ingredients

150 gms Parle G Biscuit packet ( 10 Rs double packet)
3 tbsp Cocoa powder
1/2 cup Sugar (adjust as per your sweet taste)
1 1/2 cups Milk,approx
1 Eno fruit salt sachet, plain or 1 1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tbsp chopped Dry fruits(walnuts ,almonds,cashew nuts etc)
Butter/Oil , to grease the pan

Garnishing
Cocoa powder or Icing sugar, for dusting
chocolate syrup 




Method:


1.Take a  microwave safe tin or aluminium 6 inch mould  and grease it with butter or oil nicely  biscuits like powder and empty in a large bowl.

2.Break biscuits into fine pieces and add cocoa powder, sugar and grind it in the mixer to a fine powder.

3. Add milk to the mixture.The mixture should be smooth,neither very thin nor very thick.

4. Add sliced dryfruits and mix well.Add eno/baking powder to it and give a quick stir

5. throw sum dryfruits in greased mould .Pour this batter into the greased bowl and level it off evenly.Sprinkle few more sliced almonds on top.

6.Select Microwave mode and Microwave it on HIGH for 4-5 mins.Check it after 4 mins, as the power differs for each microwave it is always better to check it in between.

7.If inserted tooth pick  comes out clean it is ready if it is slightly battery then again microwave it for a minute or more.Repeat the tooth pick test if needed.

8.Leave it undisturbed for 5 mins to cool .Run a knife around the corner of the cake and unmould it on to a plate.Slice only when the cake cools off completely or it can crumble



9.For decorations you can use chocolate syrup on top or sprinkle icing sugar /cocoa powder

enjoy!!!!

Tips

1.Reduce the sugar to 1/3 cup if you like it less sweet.
2.It is always better to check the cake in between as settings differ for different microwaves.Insert a tooth pick and see if it comes out clean it is ready, if it is slightly battery then again microwave it for a minute or more.
3.You can use combination of biscuits like Parle G and Hide and seek biscuits or use just plain Parle G biscuits.

8TH MARCH 2012 : INTERNATIONAL WOMENS DAY

 MARCH 8 : HAPPY WOMENS DAYS !!!

First of all wishing you all a happy womens day

International Women's Day (IWD), originally called International Working Women’s Day, is marked on March 8 every year.In different regions the focus of the celebrations ranges from general celebration of respect, appreciation and love towards women to a celebration for women's economic, political and social achievements. Started as a Socialist political event, the holiday blended in the culture of many countries, primarily Eastern Europe, Russia, and the former Soviet bloc. In many regions, the day lost its political flavour, and became simply an occasion for men to express their love for women in a way somewhat similar to a mixture of Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.

It is a day to wish the women in your life be it  your mom ,wife,aunt,sister ,grandma ,daughter.It is a day to appreciate the person who has the biggest but quietest influence in your life.
She is a person around whom your world revolves & you are incomplete without her.
Though we feel it in our hearts but never realize & say it aloud .

International Women's Day is not about asserting the superiority of one gender over the other. It is not about petty quarrels about who gets to do the dishes after dinner. The United Nations instituted International Women's Day to commemorate the contribution of women in the socio-political sphere as well as in global peace and security.

Historically, women have been suppressed and treated unfairly. Even in the West, women were not given equal opportunities for work. Women were not given voting powers and they could not participate in political activity. Relegated to the hearth and household, women had little else to do other than raise children.

International Women's Day can be traced back to the women's suffrage movement in the late nineteenth century. Over two centuries, women achieved tremendous progress in every walk of life. Women's emancipation took new meaning when women traveled to space, and fought alongside men at battlefields.

Yet we find many pockets in the world, where women are suppressed and demeaned. Gender bias exists at every social stratum, even in the most developed societies.

Whether you are a woman or man, you must know that International Women's Day celebrates your emancipation. Had it not been for women's emancipation, free thinking would be impossible. An educated woman can raise intelligent children, which in turn creates a self-reliant society. Celebrate the spirit of womanhood with insightful International Women's Day quotes

Today women have conquered various  fields  in careeer balancing their life in various roles like mom ,wife,aunt,sister ,daughter. I highly salute the working women who should aptly be called as  super women juggling with hard work ,handling pressures in office on one hand & equally supporting & nurturing their family at home.

Heres a surprise gift that My husband gifted me on occasion of womans days. Its a beautiful hyderabadi  pearl necklace with a diamond pendant & earrings.Isnt it beautiful?

 Celebrate the spirit of womanhood with insightful International Women's Day quotes

•Behind every successful man is a woman who is getting ahead of him! Three cheers to the woman of tommorrow! Happy Woman's Day!

•The willingness to listen, the patience to understand, the strength to support, the heart to care & just to be there..that is the beauty of a lady! Happy Women's Day!

•Margaret Thatcher
If you want something said, ask a man; if you want something done, ask a woman.

•Christabel Pankhurst
Remember the dignity of your womanhood. Do not appeal, do not beg, do not grovel. Take courage, join hands, stand beside us, fight with us.

•Roseanne Barr
The thing women have yet to learn is nobody gives you power. You just take it.